In commemoration of the College's 175th anniversary, Robin Jensen, Endowed Professor and the Patrick O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, will give a lecture on "The Holy Cross: Symbol of Victory and Sign of Salvation."

Contrary to its predominance in the history of Christian art, the symbol of the cross and depictions of Jesus’s crucifixion are not widely represented before the sixth century and, even then, they allude to Christ’s triumph and glory rather than his suffering and sacrifice. Jensen will explore some of the reasons for the late emergence of the cross and crucifix, discuss the earliest examples, and finally show how the image of the Holy Cross has historically had a wide range of meanings, including a sign of Christ’s Second Coming, a symbol of divine love, and the primordial tree of life. Jensen is author of “The Cross: History, Art, and Controversy” (Harvard University Press, 2017).